Off to the Jungle!

I had a long but great day today! Easy day of classes followed by an afternoon trip to the museum of Oswaldo Guyasamin's artwork. Guayasamin is Ecuador's most famous artist. He was mestizo, meaning that he was of mixed Indigenous (his father) and European (mother) decent. He is known for his paintings reflecting themes such as discrimination, racism, slavery, poverty, political injustice/dictadors, the relationship between mother and child, and other human rights themes. His work was really impressive, as was the view of the city from the site of the museum and his former home. He died in 1991, if I remember correctly, in Baltimore and is buried beneath a tree in the yard of his home next to the museum. His body is in a large vase buried in the ground, reflecting his Indigenous roots...For a breath cultural lesson....it is common in indigenous culture to bury your dead in this manner. It forces the body into a fetal position. Along with the body, loved ones place food and other necesities in the vase/urn. This is because in Indigenous culture, death is not the end of life. Rather, it is just a portal into the next realm, the next life. The body is in a fetal position just as in the womb of its mother because the spirit will soon be reborn in the next life. The food and other necessities will help nourish the spirit on this stage of its never ending journey. Perhaps not how I would like to be buried, but interesting nonetheless and interesting that htis artist wanted to honor his Indigenous roots and be buried in this manner. I took pictures of the museum and of some of his works and will post them and pass them along later. One of my favorites is actually of a Chinese proverb translated into Spanish and posted on a wall in the museum. In Spanish it reads: Yo llore porque no tenia zapatos hasta que vi un nino que no tenia pies. In English: I cried because I did not have soon until I saw a child that did not have feet. Guayasmin traveled throughout Latin America, passing through rural villages and painting pictures to reflect the suffering of Indigenous peoples. He also created art to reflect the hardships of WWII and of those suffering under military dictatorships in Latin America and from poverty in India.

After the museum, my busy day continued as I ran errands trying to make final purchases and preparations for my trip! Tomorrow morning, I am meeting my professor Fredy and two other students, Heather and Lara, at 7 am so we can head to the bus station and catch our bus to the jungle town of Tena! I am so excited! The 5 hour bus ride will bring us to this town just inside the jungle region (or Oriente pronounced O-ree-en-teh) of Ecuador. We will not be very deep in the jungle, but deep enough to admire the beauty of the jungle and observe the Indigenous cultures living there (and to be cut off from cell phone signals, internet, and many modern amenities). The first two nights we are there, we will be residing with an indigenous family and roughing it without any electricity or warm water. The next four nights we will be staying in more of a hostal (with electricty but no warm water). Each day we will continue to have our Spanish classes, but in the afternoons our activities will be a little different than the museums and tours we do in the city. Instead, we will learn about medicinal plants, spend a day in a rural indigenous community (I am bringing some of the books, crayons, and coloring books that many of you helped me purchase with your donations for the children there), and so on. Our activities will be more active as we plan to go canyoning (climbing up hills and descending down cliffs with ropes, etc), climb waterfalls, float down a river, and spend a day hiking around and swimming in a lake/lagoon of some sort. I cannot wait to share my pictures and experiences with you all! I return Friday afternoon and will fill you all in on the details as soon as I can! Until then, have a great week!